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Saturday, August 30, 2014

Raise your (virtual) hand if you're having trouble coming to terms with the fact that summer is essentially over after this weekend. I couldn't resist using a summery pic, one last time, before it's on to fall fashion and then the holidays before I can even bat an eyelash (no, seriously, the end of the year always moves way too fast). Keeping this post short and sweet, because I've been home in Iowa all week for my sister's wedding—which is today!—and I'm about to dash off for our last few errands before the festivities get going. The wedding is at her house in the country, so there'll be plenty of shenanigans (hop over to instagram to see what kind of trouble I get into), but first I wanted to leave you with a few links from around the web and my favorite of the Labor Day deals this weekend!

Wednesday, August 27, 2014

It's been a while, hasn't it? I'm back in Iowa for the week, prepping for my sister's wedding (and also working from home, probably a little too much…but the week before NYFW isn't the best week to take off work when your job is in the fashion industry and you write a semi-fashion related blog!). To be honest, I probably could have gotten a post together for the last few days, but I've been enjoying stepping back from technology when I can…and apparently the outside world, since I realized this morning I hadn't put a stitch of makeup on since Saturday.

It's weird to think once I get back to NYC, summer will essentially be over—September truly is a month of madness, and I don't have a weekend without something on the calendar until mid-October right now (don't worry, I'll be sharing some of the more fun trips & plans here!). Pinching myself because yes, I just wrote OCTOBER already. I vowed, as I always do, to make this summer a great one, and for one of the first times in recent memory I'm pretty satisfied with how it turned out, but I wish (as I'm sure everyone does) we could tack a few extra weeks on the end…I need a couple more beach days, rooftop happy hours and summer picnics al fresco, please.

Lauren and I were strolling towards the park and came across a fresh-fruit stand with the most delicious smelling fresh pineapple. So, we bought one, and yes, I dressed it up a little…cliché but fun(ny), no?

Thursday, August 21, 2014

Earlier this summer, the crew over at America's Best Racing reached out to see if I'd be interested in learning more about horse racing and attending an event in the New York area. I grew up around horses—my mom saved her money to buy her first horse instead of a car when she was 15—and had seen a handful of races at a small track back home, but nothing on the scale that the tracks in New York can offer.

Since a day at the races means wearing a fun sundress and a big floppy hat, I couldn't say no! I also love a good reason to get out of the city and visit somewhere new, so since The America's Best Racing team has been in Saratoga all month for the last races of the season, a few other bloggers, racing lovers and myself hopped on a (very unexpected party) bus at the crack of dawn for the ride up north.

It was a little cloudier than expected and stopped my photos from turning out quite as I'd hoped (not sure if I've mentioned it before but my dSLR is about a decade old! I bought it when I first started studying photography), but the upside was I didn't have to worry too much about a sunburn, although I did put on SPF 50+ before I left my apartment because that video over on Time is scary as f*ck. We wandered around the grounds, sipping cocktails from Buffalo Trace (because what's a horse race without some bourbon?), taking in the older buildings and impressive track and even getting up close with some of the really crazy hats horses in the paddocks. There are still a few weeks left of races and if I wasn't heading back to Iowa for a while tomorrow, I'd be making a trip back up for another day (the beautiful views on the drive up don't hurt, either). Also, because I finally bet on a horse and won more than $.10, unlike my last experience at the racetrack.

Tuesday, August 19, 2014

Earlier this spring, the team at Reebok invited me to stop by their pop-up stand in NYC to check out their newest shoe release, the Skyscape Runaround. I'd just left SoulCycle so I showed up already in fitness mode, albeit a bit of a sweaty mess.

Skyscapes were designed to be both stylish and comfortable, and they really hit the nail on the head. I'm sure you've seen a commercial by now, where Miranda Kerr runs all around town from errand to errand, coming home to hop in the shower and nearly forgetting to take her shoes off…well, I don't know if I'd say that I forget I'm wearing them, but I definitely find myself reaching for them day after day. They actually haven't made it in an official outfit post to date despite me wearing them frequently because I kindof got them a tad dirty, they need a good deep-clean before their first photoshoot, ha! You can see the color I picked out above, a light minty green with a white sole. I've since changed the laces to be a matching green instead of white.

I rarely step out of the house without numerous compliments and questions about them, which usually leads to me making people feel the shoe. The upper part (that surrounds your foot) is made of flexible, seamless foam. There are padded areas around the heel so that the shoe doesn't rub—I've worn mine for upwards of 12 hours a day before without absolutely no rubbing. I would recommend sizing down a half size from normal since the foam does stretch and conform to your foot, mine are a 7.5 instead of my usual size 8! Also, since they're completely made of foam and light rubber, they're machine washable, and the breathable material dries overnight! Definitely a key selling point for someone like me who trashes everything no matter how hard I try not to.

Although I should really invest in a pair of black Runarounds because of the aforementioned ability to spill on and get everything I own dirty, when I discovered the "design your own" option I immediately started playing around and now have nearly half a dozen different designs saved. Before you even glance at the next photo, I'm sure you could guess that I'm rather partial to the blue. There are 10 colors total that you can apply to the base, piping, logos, sole, tongue, laces etc. and they're just a fraction more than buying a pre-designed pair, at $80 vs. $65. I personally have plans to scoop up a custom-designed blue pair for fun, and the previously mentioned all-black for days when I know they're just going to get dirty.

Shop Reebok Skyscape

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*This post is NOT sponsored by Reebok aside from the c/o Skyscapes at top! I just really love my sneakers.

Friday, August 15, 2014

Happy Friday! Or, as I'm starting to call it, the start of the weekend where I try not to lose my mind. Just over a week from now, I'll be hopping on a plane home for 12 days—which sounds relaxing, but the reality is there's a lot I have to accomplish before I go (the least of which are laundry, packing, and cleaning up my apartment!), a bridal shower and bachelorette party that I'm hosting 12 hours after I land, and the start of NYFW 36 hours after I get back to NYC. Which is why I'm all about moments when I get to step back and relax for a minute...

I took my last summer Friday of the year last week (which makes it feel even more like fall in my head than this cooler weather we're having right now) and headed for the UES to grab lunch with Ashley. We headed to a quiet restaurant with tables lined up in the shade outdoors and spent some time just catching up, de-stressing from the week, and walking over to get some fro-yo after and meander to the park, where we nabbed a bench in the sunshine and gabbed a while longer. And, yes, I'm wholly aware I just used the words "meander" and "gabbed" in the same sentence…my brain must already be on Iowa-mode, ha!

Funny little story about this dress…I saw it at the beginning of the season when I was browsing new arrivals, but it faded from memory til last month when it popped back up on MAJOR sale on most sites. I kept debating whether I wanted to pull the trigger since it was still a tad pricey, but got an email one afternoon from the only site that still had my size in stock saying their sale section was ending that night. I got home shortly after midnight and hopped on my computer 20 minutes later…but the sale section was gone! So, naturally, at one a.m. I was writing emails to their customer service and even called when I discovered they had a 24-hour customer service line, but there was nothing they could do. A deeper Google search finally lead me to the last site to have just ONE in stock, in my size. Fate, right? Especially when it was $20 cheaper than everywhere else I'd seen it!

My co-workers have taken to calling it my "superhero dress" thanks to the cape-like overlay on the back. I personally love it for the simple fact it's a little unique and incredibly flattering. I've dressed it up with a chunky heel, and wore it like you see here to work last week with an edgier ankle boot.

Tuesday, August 12, 2014

It seems like a cruel twist that as I write this, the skies outside my window are dark and the air is cool, but just two days ago it was what I think is universally referred to as "the perfect day"—85, light humidity, a breeze in the air and hardly a cloud in the sky. Which meant the only logical thing to do was load up a friend's car and head out to Jones Beach.

Getting there was an ordeal…we'd originally been planning on the weekend before, but bad weather ruined that one for us and we were dying to get out in the ocean one last time before summer ends. Thankfully, postponing a week brought us three straight days of heavenly weather and the chance to use my friend's car instead of a rented Zipcar. A godsend, if you will, because about 10 minutes out from the beach as we cruised along at about 10 miles an hour, we got rear-ended! I'll spare you the long story except to say that no one was seriously injured (I've been nursing a headache for a couple days and a touch of soreness in my neck; my other friends in the backseat also hit their heads) and the car suffered minimal damage; the worst parts were the occupants of the other car trying to make small-talk with us and getting to the beach an hour and a half later than we'd planned. All worth it once we arrived, though!

We try to pack beach days in to as many weekends as possible, but somehow much of this summer escaped before any truly solid days could be had—until Sunday, that is. The Rockaways are a great option if you don't have a car available, but they can get crowded and the water's a touch dirtier than you'd probably want to admit while there; the nearly 2-hour subway ride in your swimsuit is considerably less fun than a quick 45-minute car ride to the cleaner beaches of Long Island, too. The sparkling blue hues struck us as soon as we crossed the sand, and I think my friend & I made it all of 15 minutes before we were in the water. The beach towel above wins for my new favorite beach accessory, though—huge, soft, and a giant whale of an image of a presumed old New Yorker cover! It took me an embarrassingly long time to get a beach towel (ahem, this is my first) out here and stop taking my bath towels with me...especially considering this one's super affordable ;)

Getting knocked on my ass by a HUGE wave…still not sure if I should be thankful my friend was there to capture the aftermath!

And, of course, what good is a beach day if you don't say a little thanks to the sun and sea gods after a long soak in the ocean? There are no more beach trips on my calendar in what's left of summer, but I'm hopeful we get a beautiful season next year.

Friday, August 8, 2014

Another week down! August is really putting them away quick, in two short weeks I'll be back in Iowa, closing out the summer with a wedding…and probably putting away as many $3 gin-and-tonic's as I safely can before I come back to the land of hey-this-drink-is-ONLY-$10 (friends at home, now accepting applications for my DD for the week). Anyways, I digress. This weekend is going to be all about sunshine, friends and sandy beaches, including a day trip to Jones Beach on Sunday...starting with my last summer Friday of the year. Is it 2p yet?

Wednesday, August 6, 2014

A few weeks ago, my friends and I hatched a plan to drive out to Jones Beach for an entire day, which you may remember is on my summer to-do list…car was booked, work was requested off, sunscreen was stocked up and beach essentials were purchased. Mother Nature, that fickle creature, had other plans for that day.

I got a text last Tuesday asking if I'd looked at the forecast…so I wincingly checked it to see a high of 75. And rain. Lots of rain from Friday til Sunday, so we cancelled the car and rescheduled everything for this coming weekend, and then guess what? It barely rained! Sure, the sun didn't come out much, but I don't mind when I'm dozing on the beach to the sound of gently crashing waves and chatter of happy people (this weekend: high of 85 and NO CLOUDS). Bring it, weekend.

Since I had to figure out what the heck I was going to do with my weekend, I opted for the next most logical decision to beach: brunch (part of the three B's, the third of which is booze…a little different than the ones my sorority banned during initiation week: boys, booze and bars. I'm clearly a sucker for alliteration). I visited an old favorite in my neighborhood and a new place I'd been wanting to check out for ages in Manhattan—all accompanied by my new favorite summer accessory, the backpack (the fourth B in this equation). Can someone explain why it took so long for me to jump on this trend? I sure can't.

Inside my bag for the weekend: camera (obvi), my latest summer book, a few magazines I haven't gotten around to, my external mophie charger, makeup bag, sunglasses, actual glasses, an apple and Organic Avenue grapefruit juice. Not only does the bag hide the exorbitant amount of sh*t I find myself carrying around on any given day, the straps equally distribute the weight and I barely notice I'm carrying 15 extra lbs around with me, which is usually split between an overstuffed bag on each shoulder. I'm thinking a classic leather one is next!